Remembering our fallen in combat

Three local families carry on legacies of service members killed in Iraq and Afghanistan

To many people, Memorial Day means the beginning of summer, barbecues and beach trips. But to the families of U.S. service members killed in action, the last Monday in May means the memory of what they have lost.

More than 6,500 American troops have been killed in Iraq and Afghanistan since late 2001.

Among the nations fighting alongside the United States, the body count is 1,406. And the toll on Iraq and Afghan civilians has been estimated to be at least 140,000.

San Diego County — home to a Marine Corps expeditionary force, much of the Navy’s Pacific Fleet and the headquarters of the Navy SEALs — has suffered the loss of 647 of its sons and daughters.

Some grew up here. Most adopted the region while stationed at local bases.

For Memorial Day, we profiled three families who — on this holiday and always — remember a husband or a father claimed by war.